The Card Apprentice

She had curved eyebrows like a painting, skin like snow that could be broken with a puff, and a face that could easily show both joy and anger but was exquisite enough to take one’s breath away. Her fluid eyes and the off-hand style they exuded made one’s heart race.

Chen Mu was rather taken aback. Ah Sang’s beauty surprised him. When he saw that face, he finally understood why Ah Sang normally wore a veil and why Miao Xuan was always thinking about her.

Considering beauty alone, Sue Lochiro was slightly inferior to her. Ah Sang’s was a kind of stunning beauty without the slightest defect. Once a person saw it, it would be hard to take one’s eyes away.

Chen Mu had powerful resistance to beautiful women, which had a lot to do with his childhood experiences. Afterward, although he hadn’t been surrounded by all that many beautiful women, those like Lu Xiaoru or Sue Lochiro were women with looks and temperaments that were hard to come by.

Being suddenly able to see Ah Sang’s true face did stop him dead. Still, he quickly returned to his senses, marveling to himself how gorgeous she was! With his spirits returned to normal, Chen Mu said in praise, “Ah Sang is such an unusually beautiful young woman that I can’t stop looking at you.”

Her gorgeous eyes lit up. Chen Mu’s gaze never left her eyes even when she could see how affected he was, which deepened her look of appreciation and surprise. Although Qiao Yuan was ugly-looking, his magnanimity and clear gaze were nothing like those fierce and ruthless types.

Ah Sang smiled slightly, showing two little dimples. “Getting such praise from Mr. Qiao pleases Ah Sang to no end. It sure is a lot more comfortable without my veil.” After saying that, she stuck out the tip of her tongue. “If it weren’t for Mr. Qiao being here, Ah Sang would never dare to remove her veil.”

Her pretty face looked a little naughty as she bit the delicate, glistening tip of her tongue in a way to stop a one’s breath. Those storytelling eyes looked like they could seduce a person’s soul. If anyone else had been beside her, they would have long since been lost in infatuation by what her eyes were saying.

Chen Mu smiled unconcernedly, never having believed he could ever have such charm. He then said, “It’s getting late. Let’s go to the Southern Star Trading Firm.”

Although he spoke casually, he naturally left no room for doubt in his tone. Ah Sang was startled, finding Qiao Yuan even more inscrutable than ever. She had thought Qiao Yuan was a card artisan with outstanding power; now, however, it would seem she would be endlessly discovering new things about him. For him to have the stature to get the students from Moon Frost Island to come knocking on his door, the respect he commanded couldn’t have been ordinary. Moreover, she was familiar with the authority that came through what he’d just said, which was the authority of someone at the top! Only those accustomed to high positions, or those in command, would have such authority.

But wasn’t he just a card artisan? In Ah Sang’s eyes, the man in front of her had become still more bewildering. However, she didn’t reveal the least inkling of surprise or uncertainty on her face. She stood fully upright and smiled sweetly. “Mmmm. Ah Sang will take you there.”

Ah Sang and Chen Mu were walking on the streets of Zargan. She was like a powerful magnet; everywhere she went, people’s gazes would be helplessly drawn to her. She was truly as beautiful as a goddess. With the unbearably ugly Chen Mu to set her off at her side, she became still more beautiful to look at.

Chen Mu was calm and unafraid with his mild expression, and Ah Sang was prettily laughing at his side and saying something to him from time to time. Many people couldn’t repress a deep sigh when they saw such a scene on the street. Their gazes at Ah Sang were full of pity for such a flower to be stuck in such cow dung. But some among the crowds looked a little deeper. Chen Mu had been the main show those past few days, and his face was so ugly it was hard to forget.

So, although people would point from time to time and would talk about them in low voices, no one dared to approach. Quite a few of them were trying to guess Ah Sang’s identity.

Chen Mu was actually a bit uncomfortable; so many gawkers made him feel like an animal in the zoo. He lamented to himself that if he’d known there would be that sort of scene, he would certainly have had Ah Sang put on her veil as soon as they’d left.

His expression suddenly shifted, and he pretended to inadvertently glance into the crowd. Several men were looking straight at him with gloomy gazes.

His heart skipped, and he withdraw his gaze as casually as possible. They were wearing battle suits, and he could tell they were card artisans at a glance. Their expressions betrayed a murderous aura, and they were by no means kindly types. Although they were among the crowd, they stood in unassuming groups of three or so. Bogner had always emphasized team collaboration, and Chen Mu was naturally not at all out of practice from being so constantly exposed to such tactical knowledge.

Chen Mu suddenly remembered what Wei-ah had been telling him those last few days. Wei-ah had said there had recently been a lot of people of unknown origins coming to Zargan. That they alarmed Wei-ah was enough to show the power those people must have had.

Could they be coming after me? That was the first thought that popped into Chen Mu’s mind, though he quickly nixed it. He was perfectly clear about the influence he had. He guessed those people had most likely come for Moon Frost Island.

“You are Qiao Yuan?” A deep and gravelly voice was suddenly transmitted into Chen Mu’s ears. Everything abruptly quieted on the street. People consciously made way, many showing excitement in their eyes.

Just as he had nixed that speculation, he had never thought it would so suddenly become true. Chen Mu didn’t know whether to laugh or to cry. His gaze turned toward the speaker.

A man stood as straight as a javelin in the middle of the street, staring coldly at him. His black hair went to his waist and was held by shiny silver hoops, which were glinting brightly in the sunshine. On his left wrist was tied a light green apparatus, and his black battle suite was as clean as new.

Chen Mu glimpsed the men he had just seen out of the corner of his eye. They were staring at him interestedly with no intention of making any moves. That confirmed to Chen Mu that they had more than ordinary power. If they wanted to attack him, he would have to make a getaway. Unless one were blind, it was easy to determine that his adversary didn’t have good intentions.

“Who are you?” Chen Mu asked him, expressionless.

“You killed Mo Ta?” In the same way, his adversary asked back without answering.

Chen Mu realized he had come because of Mo Ta. He inwardly understood that it wasn’t going to be a good day, and he didn’t want to get mixed up in any talk. He figured he must have been something like a friend of Mo Ta’s, coming to seek revenge.

“What business is that of yours?” Chen Mu felt he was getting more and more into the state and tossed that phrase out without much thought. Once he said it, he felt inexplicably more comfortable. A weird notion popped into his mind: Could he have some actual skill at acting?

Those gathered around to watch became more excited. Everyone knew there would be a good show. Hearing how arrogant he was, quite a few of them were smacking their mouths in anticipation.

The already nasty look on the man facing Chen Mu became still uglier as he laughed coldly and said, “Don’t think you can just walk away after killing Mo Ta. Give over the Golden Word Shackle, and I’ll spare your life!”

Just as he said that, the crowd erupted.

“Dang Han! It’s Dang Han!”

“That’s Dang Han! The 70th on the Black-Line Star Listing!”

“Aiya! Isn’t Qiao Yuan the 72nd? When those two get into a fight in front of us, they’ll be very close in strength!”

“Not necessarily. Qiao Yuan only just got onto the Black-Line Star Listing this month; Dang Han has been on it for years, and he has been much more of a winner. While others may be powerhouses, Qiao Yuan will be a dark horse at best.”

Even the guys Chen Mu had seen in the crowd looked quite shocked when they heard Dang Han’s identity qualified like that. Chen Mu wasn’t surprised, given that his adversary knew who he was and would dare to challenge him. How could he not have a few notches on his belt?

But his objective was actually the Golden Word Shackle, which was rather unexpected. He wouldn’t expect a card artisan ranked 70th on the Black-Line Star Listing to actually be interested in the card of someone ranked 19 names behind him. Still, if he was really that interested, why hadn’t he already made his move?

Chen Mu was a basically clever person, and he quickly thought things through. He figured Dang Han had previously been afraid of Constellation. When he had seen the Golden Word Shackle fall into Chen Mu’s hands, he had gotten the idea to come and fight.

Chen Mu immediately understood his situation. He’d killed Mo Ta and had gotten onto the Black-Line Star Listing. Having become well-known, there had to be some things he couldn’t avoid. So, it would be a real show—a show with no way out. If he were defeated, the event would undoubtedly be declared his final failure.

He was in a kind of wonderful and dangerous position. If he were the least bit careless, not only would all of his previous efforts be wasted, but even his very life would be in doubt. Although his adversary said he only wanted the Golden Word Shackle, how could that kind of off-handed remark be trusted? Which one of those sorts of people wouldn’t kill without blinking?

Even if he could keep his life and get back into action, he would still be unable to avoid that kind of thing. It was a threshold he would have to cross!

Having thought it through clearly, Chen Mu drew a deep breath and put all of his miscellaneous thoughts as far from his mind as he could. He concentrated his attention as never before. He had to win that battle!

Under his gentle exterior, his bravura surge of blood was activated in an instant, and he forgot about any performance. All of the untamed valiance he had been carefully holding in check now showed its towering horns in the midst of such a dangerous situation!

He let his perception loose without hiding anything. A strangely lively golden energy chain appeared in Chen Mu’s hands, flying up and down and clanking loudly.

“Why the nonsense? Fight if you’re going to fight.”

The grave voice rolled like thunder across the whole sky, coldly conveying formidable self-confidence and determination. The raging energy fluctuations were like huge waves aroused by a storm, suddenly compressed and spiraling as they brewed!